News

January and February are part of the mating season for coyotes and foxes, which is good news for UW-Madison professor David Drake and his research team.

"If we can learn more about the animal and try to proactively manage these animals and the interactions between them, domestic dogs, and humans hopefully we can head off conflicts to the point we can peacefully coexist," said Drake, UW-Madison associate professor of forest and wildlife ecology.

Drake and his students humanely trap the animals, run tests and fit them with tracking devices. They hope through the research to learn more about the animals' traveling patterns, diseases they carry, interactions with other animals and most importantly including humans.

"These animals are moving into these areas where people are living," Drake said. "If that habituation continues and the animals continue to lose their fear of humans, in extreme cases these animals can start becoming aggressive."

A four-vehicle crash closed a portion of Highway 14 near Cross Plains on Friday morning.Deputies at the scene told News 3 a westbound vehicle was attempting to make a left turn on Stagecoach Road when it was struck from behind and pushed into oncoming traffic, where it struck another vehicle. Another vehicle behind the first two westbound vehicles was also involved in the crash.

One person was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A child suffered a foot injury, according to deputies.

Police said Saturday that the woman officers had sought in connection with a credit card theft in Middleton was cleared of wrongdoing.

The Middleton Police Department sent an alert Friday sharing a surveillance photo of a woman officers wanted to identify in connection with a stolen wallet and credit card case from mid-January. Police had asked for the public's help Friday in identifying the woman.

Police said Saturday that officers were provided the wrong video for the timeframe by the store and the woman pictured was identified and was not related to the case.

Police are investigating a report of a wallet that was stolen from a patron at a business on the 2500 block of Allen Boulevard in Middleton at about noon on Jan. 19. A customer told police she left her purse unattended briefly and later discovered that her wallet had been stolen.

A short time later, some of the credit cards that were in the stolen wallet were reportedly used, police said.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals should decide in the next 90 days whether a St. Paul man convicted of killing his wife deserves a new trial.

The attorney for Jeffery Trevino argued in front of a three-judge panel Thursday that the jury did not receive proper instructions during Trevino's trial.

He was sentenced to 27 years in prison for the murder of 30-year-old Kira Steger in 2013. Trevino's sentence was nearly twice the maximum recommended by state sentencing guidelines. His attorney also argued for a reduced sentence.

Steger grew up near Wausau, and lived in Middleton before moving to Minnesota. Her body was recovered from the Mississippi River.

A report to police of a vehicle weaving all over the road led to a fifth drunken driving charge for a Madison man Tuesday, police said.

Middleton police said officers responded to a report of a vehicle hitting the curb on the 6200 block of University Avenue at 6:31 p.m. Police stopped the vehicle about seven blocks from the area of the report.

Police said officers found alcohol in the vehicle driven by 33-year-old Derek G. Powers. Powers reportedly admitted to drinking alcohol and was put through field sobriety tests.

Powers was arrested on suspicion of fifth-offense operating while intoxicated, a felony. He was also charged with operating after revocation and a felony probation warrant.

A crash caused by black ice brought down power lines in the town of Westport Tuesday morning, according to a release from the Dane County Sheriff's Office.

Deputies said Jonathan Ironside, 37, of Madison, was traveling west on Oncken Road at 8:25 a.m. when he lost control of his 2004 Honda Civic on the icy road and struck a power pole, causing the wires to fall across the road. Ironside stayed inside the car until utility workers made the scene safe.

Ironside, who was removed from the car at 9:35 a.m., suffered minor injuries in the crash. He was treated at the scene.

Oncken Road between County roads M and Q will be closed to traffic until approximately noon.